Alison Seabeck MP

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MP’s To Press For Action On Water Charges Following The Walker Review

Wednesday January 27^th 2010

Press release from Linda Gilroy, Alison Seabeck and Ben Bradshaw

Meeting with Prime Minister: MP’s to press for Action on Water Charges following the Walker Review

Plymouth Sutton MP Linda Gilroy will today lead a delegation of Devon and Cornwall MPs to  meet the Prime Minister to raise the issue of the South West’s Water Bills . Speaking about the meeting Linda Gilroy MP said: "The long running campaign for fairer water charges is entering a new and important stage".

"The Walker Review set out with greater clarity than ever before the effect that the botched Tory privatisation of the water industry had on Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall. This unique problem and its roots has now been officially recognised by the Walker Review and the regulator alike. The focus of the campaign now turns from getting the problem recognised to getting a solution in place. The purpose of today’s meeting is to seek the Prime Minister’s personal engagement with the follow through to this important report so that the people charged with doing work on it realise it is a priority”.

Alison Seabeck added “Over the years we have developed a constructive relationship with the Liberal Democrats in campaigning on this issue and our campaign has registered because of the detailed work we have all been doing on it. But there has been negligible support from the Conservatives. It is hardly surprising that they aren’t interested in finding a workable solution. Given that their policies from the 1980s and early 1990s are the root of the problem, an apology could be appropriate – but none has been forthcoming despite persistent requests.”

Ben Bradshaw commented: “In contrast to the Tories' approach, the Labour Government under Gordon Brown have engaged with us over a number of years, setting in train studies on the nature of the affordability problem, who it effects and some early work on identifying some options to deal with it, culminating in the Walker Review. I am confident that the Prime Minster recognises the importance of this issue to our constituents and will continue to engage with us to see the matter through.”

At the end of last year Anna Walker’s Independent Review of Water Metering and Charging singled out the region for particular attention. Ms Walker had twice visited Plymouth at Linda Gilroy’s invitation to meet with local water customers and hear first hand the effect high charges have on their income.

Following the publication of the Walker Review, the Minister for Water, Huw Irranca Davies MP, asked the regulator to take immediate steps to do further work on the south west issues. Ofwat has started to look at the possible options to relieve some of the burden.